Adelaide: Dolphin Sanctuary Kayak Tour & Mangrove Creek

4.74

(333 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

I didn’t expect Garden Island to smell like salt and eucalyptus at the same time — but that’s the first thing I noticed when we parked up in Port Adelaide (early, because they really do mean it about arriving 15 minutes before). The place felt quiet except for a couple of pelicans flapping around. Our guide, Jamie, handed out life jackets and cracked a joke about “not feeding the dolphins your phone.” I was nervous about kayaking since my arms aren’t exactly gym material, but turns out you don’t need to be an athlete for this Dolphin Sanctuary Kayak Tour. The pace is slow, just enough to hear the water slap against the hull and sometimes catch a whiff of seaweed drifting by.

We glided into the mangrove creek forest — apparently over 10,000 years old, which is wild to think about. Jamie pointed out these twisted roots sticking out of the mud like something from another planet. The sun kept ducking behind clouds so everything looked kind of silver-green. At one point I tried to pronounce some bird’s name in Kaurna (the local language) and Jamie laughed — probably butchered it, but he appreciated the effort. We drifted past half-sunken shipwrecks; honestly, I thought they’d look more dramatic but they’re just quietly rusting away, half-covered in barnacles. It felt peaceful though. Then someone spotted a fin slicing through the water — not gonna lie, my heart jumped — but it was just a dolphin poking around for fish. No big show or anything, just… there.

I still think about how calm everything felt out there — no traffic noise or anything except maybe someone else’s paddle splashing now and then. There was filtered water if you needed a top-up (I forgot my bottle so that was handy), plus sunscreen and this waterproof bag that actually worked. Afterward we sat under some shade swapping stories with Jamie about weird things people have dropped in the creek (apparently wedding rings are up there). It wasn’t flashy or perfect — my arms did ache later — but I’d do it again just for that quiet moment watching the dolphin glide by. You know?